The news that the Denair Unified School District has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the state to begin a Farm to Fork program at the high school opens up numerous exciting possibilities.

FFA and special ed students at Denair High — under the guidance of ag teachers Holli Jacobsen and Taylor Doo – soon will begin turning a dusty patch of ground into a one-acre garden. The fruits and vegetables grown in it will funnel straight into the district’s food program.

Broccoli and cauliflower. Tomatoes, peppers and beans. Cucumbers, onions and a variety of melons. Even yams and sweet potatoes. All are options for the new garden.

“All I know, if they send us stuff, I’m going to use it — in the actual entrée, as a side, in the salad bar.” said Kim Fuentez, the food services coordinator who is responsible for preparing thousands of breakfasts and lunches each day.

Continue reading “Denair earns $20,000 Farm to Fork state grant to put locally grown food on student’s plates” »

Even as the excitement associated with the first full week of in-person classes in more than a year still was being celebrated Thursday night, Denair Unified School District officials already were thinking about ways to enhance and expand summer school offerings to provide the most help to students.

Typically, summer school has been offered only to high school students who struggled with a particular class and needed to take it again to earn the required credits toward their diploma. Or, it has been a chance for other teens to receive extra help at a less stressful time. 

Those situations will still exist this summer, Superintendent Terry Metzger told board members Thursday. But there are other, equally important reasons that she expects more students of all ages to sign up for summer school after spending much of the past 13 months learning at home via computer because of the pandemic.

“We need to do whatever we can to get kids back on track,” Metzger said. “We also want the kids to have a little fun.”

Continue reading “With most students back on campus full time, Denair begins to map out summer school plans” »

BID #2021-01

HOME-TO-SCHOOL, EXTRACURRICULAR
TRANSPORTATION/BUS FLEET MAINTENANCE

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Notice is hereby given that the Denair Unified School District, 3460 Lester Road, Denair, CA
95316, hereinafter referred to as the District, will receive District bids up to but no later than 2:45 p.m. on May 7, 2021.

BID #2021-01

HOME-TO-SCHOOL, EXTRACURRICULAR
TRANSPORTATION/BUS FLEET MAINTENANCE

PRE-BID CONFERENCE, WRITTEN INQUIRIES, ADDENDA

1. A bidder’s conference will be held on May 5, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. in the District
Leadership / Board Room.

2. Attendance at the scheduled bidders conference is NOT mandatory.

BID OPENING

May 7, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. in the Leadership / Board Room.

Link to Denair Transportation Bid Packet

The calendar may say mid-April, but Monday felt more like mid-August – traditionally, the first day of school in the Denair Unified School District. Hundreds of students returned full time to Denair’s four campuses, some of them for the first time in more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone — students, staff and parents — is excited to be on campus five days per week, and there was a positive vibe throughout the day,” said Kelly Beard, principal at Denair Elementary Charter Academy, where more than 80% of transitional kindergarten through fifth-grade students attended classes in person Monday. “It was great to see all the smiling faces and hear and see students interact and enjoy being on campus!”

The students whose parents chose not to have them return to campus now will stay on distance learning for the remainder of this school year, which ends in late May.

Continue reading “Smiles all around as most Denair students return to campus” »

It’s been six years since the first class of Dual Language Immersion students began kindergarten at Denair Elementary Charter Academy. They’re now fifth-graders. The goal all along was to create a seamless English and Spanish education program that would continue through the Denair Middle School and, later, Denair High School. Now, that time is here.

Though the plan to transition that first class of 26 dual language students to DMS has been in motion for a couple of years, the sense of urgency has taken on a new focus. In August, that first group will begin at DMS.

Principal Amanda Silva promises that her staff will be ready.

“Something we recognize is that all our dual families are invested in the dual program,” she said. “The commitment they made at kindergarten is important to us. The challenge is to read and write in Spanish with the goal of becoming bilingual. Those families are very committed and invested and want to see us do it well. They want to see the return on that investment.”

For Silva, the Dual Language Immersion is more than professional; it’s personal, too. Her son Ezequiel is one of those DECA fifth-graders who will be starting at DMS next school year.

Continue reading “Denair Middle School prepares for first dual language students” »